![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Tuesday, September 2, 2003
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Sunlight on shaft]](/images/2003/0828monolith.gif)
The obelisk
in the lobby of the new Centre for Environmental and Information
Technology seems to call for the solemn strains of "Also Sprach
Zarathustra". The monolith is a feature of the
March
Networks Exhibit Atrium at the centre of UW's newest building. The
30-foot (8.5-metre) rock, a slab of gneiss quarried near Sudbury, was
set in
place by a crane in December 2001 in the early stages of building
construction. Photo by Barbara Elve.
|
About 5,300 first-year students are settling in to campus life before classes start on September 8. The organized orientation program offers a chance for newcomers to experience "a balanced introduction to the social, academic and residential aspects of university life with the guidance and support of upper-year students," says Erin Moore, orientation coordinator for the Federation of Students.
Many of the new arrivals took part in Student Life 101 in late July, said Heather FitzGerald, student life coordinator. She adds that orientation week is "designed by students for students", to ease the transition to university life before the fast-paced weeks of classes when the fall term starts next week.
Throughout orientation, the newcomers will be involved in events organized by the Federation of Students Orientation Committee, made up of 38 student volunteers who have worked more than 500 hours since January to prepare for the event.
During the day today, math students will attend an "Earn Your Tie Faculty Barbecue", engineers "earn" their symbolic hard hats, and environmental studies students have pizza with their dean. Tonight, most on-campus residents will be at Village Variety Night, while off-campus residents and the students of Renison College team up for a separate variety show.
As the week goes on, academic events also take some of the new students' time -- including Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System training for those in science. Social highlights include the semi-formal Monte Carlo Night on Thursday, "Black and Gold Day" on Saturday (with a massive pep rally and a Warrior football game), and Saturday night's traditional toga party, the only event of the week at which liquor will be available.
During the week, each group of students will attend a performance of "Single and Sexy", a high-energy and non-judgmental play about the "scenarios and attitudes frosh are likely to witness or experience". Today's performances are at 9:30, 1:00 and 4:30 in the Humanities Theatre.
Martha Foulds of the UW student awards office said Friday that she and her colleagues had set August 18 as their cutoff date: loan documents would be ready this week for students who had submitted their "consent" forms and signature pages by August 18.
| Simpler paperwork for maintaining interest-free status on past student loans |
Anything dating after August 6 won't be ready for a while now, as all student awards staff are expected to be busy this week and next distributing the loans that have arrived, and answering questions.
Says a memo from Foulds and her colleagues: "No data has been lost or corrupted; however, the system has been running extremely slowly since mid August. As a direct result, the rate at which we can input documentation submitted by students has been seriously decreased. . . .
"To date, the following documentation has been processed: Consents/signature pages received up to and including August 6; Appeal requests received up to and including August 7; Supporting documentation received up to and including August 24.
"From September 2-12, all Student Awards staff members will be dedicated to distributing the loans we have received, and no new documentation will be processed. Beginning September 15, some staff will return to processing documents received and changes made during the loan distribution period.
"These circumstances are beyond the control of the Student Awards Office. We regret the inconvenience they may cause our students and thank everyone affected in advance for their patience."
![[glad to be a grad]](/images/2003/0828button.gif)
Stickers
like this one
will mark a special kind of UW staff and faculty this week --
ones who are also Waterloo graduates. Mailed out just in time for
orientation, they're a creation of the alumni affairs office, which
asked on-campus grads to wear them to "demonstrate your
pride in the amazing institution that is Waterloo, while establishing
an instant bond with new students".
"Thank you," writes alumni affairs director Gwen Graper, "for helping
to welcome our future alumni to campus!"
Need more stickers? Call ext. 2530.
|
Barrett adds: "In last April's exam, we had some cunning students who thought they could pass by using topics from previous exams. Sorry -- we are awake here and we caught the essays, and even though these were prepared in advance, the students' writing skills still were too low to pass. So to prevent any chance of this happening again we have written new topics, and the topics will be changed for each session of the exam."
She says students should bring their WatCards, or a recent photo ID, and a pen or pencil, "and leave the electronic dictionaries back in their rooms."
![[Cuthbert Brandt]](/images/2003/0901gailcb.gif)
As of September 1,
there are two new senior administrators at UW. Both appointments
were announced earlier this year.
Gail Cuthbert Brandt of Renison College (left)
becomes associate vice-president (academic), taking over from Bruce
Mitchell, who's now down to just one administrative job as a time -- he
continues as associate provost (academic and student affairs). Brandt,
a professor of history and former principal of Renison, is on loan
from the college to Needles Hall.
And Ranjana Bird, most recently of the University of Manitoba, comes to UW as dean of graduate studies and a professor of biology. She takes over from interim dean Gary Waller, who goes back to the department of psychology.
Meeting today is the executive committee of the UW senate, which will be setting the agenda for the monthly meeting of the full senate on September 15. The meeting starts at 3:30 today in Needles Hall room 3004. Listed items include a presentation on the teaching resource office; names of graduates for fall convocation; the proposed program in "atmospheric and planetary science" in the faculty of science; and a report on the past year's spending on "local aid" student bursaries.
Fees are due tomorrow, as long as they're paid by bank transfer, and late fees start Thursday. The deadline for payment by cheque is already well past.
![[Two balls]](/images/2003/0902mackie.gif)
With the departure of former coach Bruce Rodrigues, the door was left the door open for a new coach for the women's team. First to step up was Peter Mackie.
Football resultWarriors 31, Toronto 0, at University Stadium yesterday |
He took over the men's program three years ago, and immediately turned the team into a championship contender. In 2001, the men Warriors won the Ontario championship and earned a trip to the nationals. That year Mackie was honoured as athletic department Coach of the Year.
Last year was disappointing, as the Warriors were unable to build on the success of 2001. However, he has high hopes for the men's team and feels they can compete for Ontario and national supremacy in 2003.
With his new dual role, Mackie was asked if the progress he has made with the men's team will be sacrificed. "I don't think the men's team will be affected by this at all. I have a very special relationship with those players, and that will not change. Our team goal remains the same and that is to become OUA champions again and win the nationals! The men's team are a special bunch, and I expect nothing but support and cooperation from them."
With the men's team on track, what about the women's program? The women Warriors have been improving steadily for the last couple of years and look poised to make some noise in the OUA. "There is tremendous potential with the women's team with quality players such as Jennifer Smith, Sarah Towns, Erin Walkom and Nicole Grinstead. I am very familiar with the women's program. We did some winter training two years ago, so I know the players and they are a keen bunch," Mackie said.
"My coaching style and philosophy will remain the same for both teams. The women's program needs to be pushed and motivated in a soccer learning environment, in order to raise the standard and expectations. The women's program have a solid core of players -- however, as a team, they need to become fitter and quicker with technical players that can execute the very basics of the game at a higher tempo. The emphasis will be on fitness, quickness, technical skills and tactical awareness."
The women will be the first to start competition this season, with a game scheduled for Friday: the Warriors host Nipissing University's Lakers at 1 p.m. on Columbia Field. Both teams will then be in action September 13, hosting Windsor's women and men back-to-back.
CAR